1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a suturing device to be used mainly for surgical operations under a peritoneoscope.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In recent years, regarding the surgical operations for the excision of the appendix and the gallbladder, the operation performed under a peritoneoscope and allowed to obviate the necessity for laparotomy has been attracting attention in recent years as a prospective alternative to the conventional laparotomy. This operation under a peritoneoscope is carried out by inserting a plurality of communicating tubes called trocars through the abdominal wall into the abdominal cavity, displaying on a monitor screen the image of the interior of the abdominal cavity with the aid of a miniature camera inserted via one of the trocars, and enabling the surgeon to study the image on the screen and perform a desired surgical treatment by manipulating suitably a forceps, a scissors, an electric scalpel, and needle holder, or the like inserted via the other trocars.
In the surgical operation for suturing vital tissue under a peritoneoscope, since no suturing device has been developed for exclusive use in the surgical operation under a peritoneoscope, the surgeon has no alternative but to hold an arcuately curved needle by the use of the standard needle holder and suture the tissue under treatment with the needle. The suturing work, therefore, consumes much time and labor.
Particularly, the standard needle holder which is holding a needle therein is not allowed to change its posture. When it is fixed in a posture for holding an arcuate needle readied for suturing vital tissue so that the leading end of the needle may be directed perpendicularly to the vital tissue to be pierced therewith, this needle holder in that posture is not easily passed through the small trocar. For this reason, the arcuate needle is required to have a small radius at a sacrifice of the efficiency of the suturing operation and therefore limit sutures to those of narrow pitches. This limitation poses an obstacle to the proper performance of sutures.
Frequently, the needle holder permits no free change in the angle with which it holds a given needle and fails to plunge the needle at a proper angle into the vital tissue. In this case, the suture cannot be accurately carried out. Further, since the needle is small and deficient in operational efficiency as described above, it entrains the possibility that the needle point will not easily pierce the vital tissue and the needle will break within the vital tissue when the vital tissue to be pierced therewith is relatively tough or when the depth of piercing is large, for example. After the needle has been thrust into the vital tissue, a separately prepared forceps or the like is used to hold the leading end of the needle fast in position and allow passage of a thread therethrough. This work necessitates a change in the posture of the forceps at the cost of time and labor.